Co/Al2O3-rGO nanocomposite as cathode electrocatalyst for superior oxygen reduction in microbial fuel cell applications: The effect of nanocomposite composition. (10th November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Papiya, Farhan; Nandy, Arpita; Mondal, Sudipta; Kundu, Patit Paban
• Is Part Of: Electrochimica acta. Volume 254(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 13
• Publication Date: 2017-11-10
• Subjects: Cobalt alumina graphene nanocomposite -- Cathode catalyst -- Oxygen reduction reaction -- Microbial fuel cells -- Power output; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry, Industrial -- Periodicals; 541.37
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.09.108
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-4686

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: Co based transition metal nanocatalyst employed as an alternative to noble metal catalyst for oxygen reduction. Alumina (Al2 O3 ) and reduced graphene (rGO) emerged as the effective catalyst support. The electrode modified by Co based nanocatalyst exhibited an excellent electro-catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Co80 /(Al2 O3 )10 –rGO10 showed better MFC result compared to Pt/C. Abstract: This study reports the synthesis of non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) catalyst based on low cost cobalt nanoparticles supported by alumina and reduced graphene oxide (Al2 O3 -rGO) matrix as a new generation alternative to expensive platinum catalyst. 1: 1 Al2 O3 and rGO ratio has found to be the most effective support for generating higher energy in single chambered microbial fuel cell (SC-MFC). The crystalline structure, chemical composition and surface structure of the developed catalyst material are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX) mapping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The morphology of Co/Al2 O3 -rGO is characterized by Field-Emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). A study of different weight percentage of cobalt nanoparticles with support matrix is conducted in respect of catalyst activity and it reveals that the catalyst mixture with 80 wt% of metal (Catalyst B) is the best combination compared to the catalyst composition with 70 and 90 wt% of metal. Catalyst B also exhibits higher stability compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The function of the nanocatalyst (Catalyst B) as ORR cathode catalyst is observed in a single −chambered microbial fuel cell (SC-MFC) with a power density of 548.19 mWm −2 (compared to 483.48 mWm −2 for Pt/C catalyst).Thus, the newly developed catalyst can be a better substitute for the expensive Pt catalyst for SC-MFC application.